Hazy logic

It’s funny how some people are so quick to judge and accuse that they sometimes don’t stop to think about what they’re saying. Especially when it comes to something as extraordinary as the haze we’ve been living with these past few days.

I’m referring to this recent Facebook post and this article which show people accusing the Singapore government and the company Temasek Holdings of somehow being behind the haze. I’m all for a juicy conspiracy theory, but these opinions are just ridiculous…

Next thing you know they’ll blame earthquakes on the Ministry of Manpower and heavy rains on the MEWR Minister!

Actually, they are just partially wrong. There is a government at fault here. But it isn’t the Government of Singapore.

The Indonesian government has been extremely lenient with companies responsible for the haze. It not only doesn’t know who’s behind the fires, it even goes so far as saying they’re “part of nature” and that Singaporeans are cry-babies for complaining about them.

I don’t know about you, but all this stubbornness and inaction from the Indonesian government really gets me angry. Just look at this map of the hot spots; doesn’t it get your blood boiling?

The one thing I do agree on with the conspiracy theorists, however, is the fact that it is our own government’s duty to go to the Indonesian government and let them know we’re not happy about this and that they have to find a way to fix it.

About the author

Najib A.

5 Comments

Not sure why you are accusing Sudhir’s letter as ridiculous. Firstly, it was a letter from 2011. Secondly, it is already widely discussed by both Singaporean and Indonesian ministers that some of the guilty companies could be SG related, partially owned or domiciled, so what Sudhir is suggesting is entirely valid and hardly a conspiracy theory.

No links were found precisely because the authorities went to investigate. How would you or anyone had know if no investigation had been done, simply because they thought it “ridiculous” that Singaporean companies could be involved?

There are some netizens and alternative media who relish in disasters or crisis in Singapore. It’d be their field day if there are very visual and striking victims to boot. When they pounce on such events with glee, they will proselytise widely about their anti-establishment beliefs. They can spin twisted tenuous theories about high conspiracies. They can rehash quotes and articles out of context into something else.

They are just like the N95 profiteers. When they are confronted with inconvenient facts that refute their simplistic version of “truth”, they just give simple excuses and move on to the next venture. They are not there to distribute N95 to help the have-nots in society, but they are there to squeeze a little advantage and spread some misgivings and vendetta in the name of some warped agenda.

If something reads unreservedly cynical with little objective balance, remember to discount 80% of the “information” given. The rest of the 20% must be taken with a generous of salt. These people are psychologically ingrained with biases that give them a very simplistic opinion and view of things around themselves.